[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 171 (Tuesday, November 19, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6627-S6628]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     REMEMBERING BARBARA T. BOWMAN

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, it is often said that the greatest thing a 
leader can do is help nurture, shape, and create the next generation of 
leaders. Over the course of her life, Barbara Taylor Bowman--a 
pioneering force in early childhood education--did just that. I am 
sorry that Barbara passed away on November 4 at the age of 96. I wanted 
to take this moment to share some details about the remarkable life she 
led and the tremendous legacy she leaves.
  A daughter of Illinois, Barbara was born just before the Great 
Depression. She was raised on the South Side of Chicago, where her 
early life was shaped by the positive values of community and education 
and the unjust realities of segregation and inequity. These formative 
experiences would later inspire her work and lifelong dedication to 
educational equity.
  Barbara graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1950 and pursued a 
career as a preschool teacher, going on to earn her master's degree in 
education from the University of Chicago in 1952. By this point, her 
passion for bettering the lives of children through education had 
firmly taken root. Pursuing teaching during President Lyndon B. 
Johnson's War on Poverty, Barbara was inspired by the creation of Head 
Start, a program of the Department of Health and Human Services that 
provides comprehensive early childhood education, health, and 
nutrition. Shortly thereafter, in 1966, the Erikson Institute--
originally founded as the Chicago School for Early Childhood Education 
by Barbara, child psychologist Maria Piers, social worker Lorraine 
Wallach, and philanthropist Irving B. Harris--was born.
  Their vision for the Erikson Institute was simple: create an 
institution that would equip educators with the skills and knowledge to 
give all children an equal opportunity to succeed. Each of its founders 
left their own mark on the organization, but as the longest serving of 
its founders, Barbara not only shaped the institute's direction, she 
shaped its legacy. She went on to serve as its president from 1994 to 
2001 and maintained a professorship at the institute, where she was the 
Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Development. And her impact did not 
go unnoticed. Today, the institute's Barbara T. Bowman Professor of 
Child Development position is named in her honor.
  But this is far from the only recognition Barbara received. She 
served as the Chicago Public Schools' chief early education officer, 
the president of the National Association for the Education of Young 
Children, and was awarded honorary degrees from Bank Street College, 
Dominican University, Governors State University, Roosevelt University, 
and Wheelock College. Though impressive, these achievements fall short 
of capturing the impact Barbara had on Chicago and our Nation's 
children. She was a force for good, and she helped mold several 
generations of leaders through her commitment to education and social 
justice.
  But to Barbara, one of her most important roles was that of mother, 
grandmother, and great-grandmother. With her beloved husband James E. 
Bowman, she raised their daughter Valerie Jarrett. She loved her 
daughter, her granddaughter Laura, and her great-grandchildren more 
than anything.
  Barbara was a fierce champion for the rights of children, a staunch 
advocate for the power of education, and a believer in the idea that 
all children should have the opportunity to discover their potential. 
In her professional and personal life, Barbara not only shaped a 
pivotal educational institution, but also the very foundations of the 
field. She made Illinois and our Nation better.

[[Page S6628]]

  When graduates of the Erikson Institute cross the stage with their 
diploma, they are each handed a yellow rose. This tradition began in 
Barbara's own garden, and it continues to this day as a symbol of her 
care and commitment to Erikson, its graduates, and our Nation's 
children. When future graduates receive their yellow rose, I hope they 
feel Barbara's presence with them and carry her legacy forward.
  Loretta and I send my deepest condolences to all of Barbara's family 
and friends who are mourning her passing but celebrating her amazing 
life.

                          ____________________